Richard Bell, The Qur’ān. Translated, with a critical re-arrangement of the Surahs (1939)

For the same reason, it has been impossible to acknowledge fully suggestions which have been adopted from others. It would, in fact, be impossible to record all such debts. But for the labours of previous scholars, the work would have been impossible.

For help in reading the proofs I am indebted to the Rev. A. T. Gordon, M.A., whose knowledge of Arabic enabled him to check, and sometimes improve, the accuracy of the translation, and to the Rev. Lewis McGlashan, M.A., whose criticism has removed some of the worst offences against good English. For such defects as remain, I must take responsibility. I have not aimed at literary elegance, but have rather sought to keep as close to the Arabic as the difference in the structures of the two languages would allow. The sometimes awkward inversions are due to an attempt, not however consistently carried through, to bring the equivalent of the Arabic rhyme-word to the end of the verse. I have also to thank the publishers for their interest, and the printers for the care they have taken in a difficult piece of work.

It is, further, necessary to acknowledge, and I do so gratefully, the financial assistance given to the publication by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland.